Come What May (Thunder In Paradise Prequel)
by Jawira707
Summary: Hank and Max talk after the events of Come What Mayhem. Tune in for the special tonight guys!


**Come What May**

"And Max, how did you like the super award show?"

Hank Thunderman was standing in the kitchen which wasn't surprising as it was one of his favourite places to be, no, if it wasn't for the black tuxedo and the late hour everything would have been fine. If Phoebe had just believed him for once, Max thought, this evening could have been perfect.

"It was nice" the teen answered shortly sitting down at the table to pour some water into his glass.

His head was hurting, but that wasn't the reason for his particular bad mood. Tonight he had hoped to get out of the shadow that kept surrounding him wherever he went, the family getting that throphey, celebrating together and leaving the past behind. His past behind.

Bu now he had spent the whole evening with a forced smile on his face, making small talk while fighting the urge to flip a table.

"Ah…Max, I am not offended, but wasn't it you who once told me that "nice" is just a better word for…well, "it sucked?"

Max would have laughed at these words if the situation wouldn't have been so bad.

"Sorry, dad. It was really good."

Missing the witty sarcastic comeback he was so used to, Thunderman put his own drink down, resting his hand on his son's shoulder.

"Max, it's okay. I'm so proud of you."

Great, now he was making it worse. Then young hero felt so happy, still so guilty at the same time. Luckily his dad was too caught up in his own thoughts too realize this or it could have gotten real awkward.

Staying quiet was getting…difficult.

Why couldn't his father put his hand somewhere else?

"It's just sad your missed a part of our acceptance speech! I was telling how I and your mom became the invincible team of…-"

"Dad"

Max listened to himself speak out, shocked to hear his voice nearly breaking as the words formed in his mouth at their own will..

"Yes?"

There was silence for a moment and the boy could feel his dad's gaze in his neck, eyeing him with expectance and a hint of worry.

"When you and…mom got together and started fighting crime, how did you…? I mean, what was it like?"

Hank Thunderman was indeed very surprised by this question, but of course pleased to give the answer.

"Well, it was amazing! I never had known someone in my life who could understand me and my mission better than Electrice!"

"So you always agreed on what to do? You never fought about anything?"

"No, of course we had our discussions, but in a good partnership you listen to each other and if you love someone like I love your mother…Max…"

Hank had stopped as he witnessed his son slowly pulling his shoulder away, looking vehemently to the ground, blinking a few times, before closing his eyes tightly.

"Max, that was very stupid of me, I'm so sorry."

How could he have forgotten that Max had had his heart broken just weeks ago and then talk about enteral love to him? Thunderman, you for sure have seen smarter days.

"And…what if mom would have gotten hurt during a mission? Did you never think of that?"

Hank hesitated to reply now, fearing he would just make it worse. But when it upset him so much, why did Max keep asking him? Maybe it was better to talk this out this time.

"See, sometimes, when there was a dangerous situation, I got worried for Barb. I wanted to protect her and I'm sure it was the same for her. I needed to trust that she would take care, but I made sure that she knew that she could always rely on me."

"Okay."

Unceratin if this conversation was over, Hank nodded silently before picking up the water bottle to put it back in the fridge. He wasn't used to Max being so serious, but he would wait for everything what was to come.

"How do you do that?" Max interrupted his father's thoughts once again and even without making eye contact, you could tell that he had a hard time to control himself. His voice was demanding, but as his hands clenched to fists under the table, he seemed more anxious than angry.

"Do what?"

"All that. Because it's terrible. It's so terrible not to know if you partner is okay, because she won't tell you. Or when she lies to you! When you can't protect her, because she doesn't believe your warnings! I…I just can't…take it anymore…"

It was the absolute truth, Max knew it very well, still it got a hundred times realer the moment he actually pronounced it. At this point, 1 am, Sunday night, three months into Z-force training, he just couldn't take it anymore.

"Max, I don't know if it's the right time, but I'm very sure Allison is… happy and save where she…-"

"This is not about Allison!"

Finally Max rose from his seat, ignoring the emotions which were brought up by the mention of his former girlfriend's name.

"No?"

"NO!"

Hank's eyes searched his son's gaze, how he was standing there breathing harder than normal, his face a display of honest desperation.

"Dad, I…I want to protect her so bad. The first time she got hurt during patrol I promised myself to be more attentive! To stay closer, but she…she…doesn't want to hear it! If I pull, she pushes Even when it's dangerous! So, I asked you how did you do this?"

Without losing your mind?

Now the atmosphere had changed in the room ,because Phoebe's name was floating in the air even though nobody had dared to speak it out loud.

And when it came to Phoebe, the subject got touchy for their dad, he was aware of that.

"Max, you're tired" Hank tried to start as calmly as he could, but the teen was taking none of it.

"I DON'T CARE! I want an answer!" He was nearly shouting.

At this point Max had talked himself in rage without realizing the gloom that appeared in his dad's eyes as he witnessed his child's mental breakdown.

"You get your answer."

Hank sat down again looking up to his son, motioning him to do the same.

"It was 20 years ago…"

"Dad.."

"No listen up!"

This wasn't easy for him as well and he had never planned on telling this story to any of his children. So, Max better kept attention now.

"Your mom and I were fighting for the Hero League for years, we wanted to have children…but she couldn't seem to get pregnant. We tried for more than two years, Max. When we were just about to give up hope, it happened. There was a huge prison break in Metroburg and we were called to help catch as many villains as we could. Some of them we are still searching until today, so you see, it was a major deal."

Max observed his dad with interest, until now not understanding where this was heading to.

"I got separated from your mother during one of those fights. I remember calling out her name, but someone told me she was at the other end of the city. I shouldn't worry."

Hank paused for a moment as the vivid images of that day flashed in his memory.

"After a few hours it was over. We met at the Hero leagues' Headquarters, but Barb wasn't there. I asked everyone, eventually they told me that she was in hospital."

"She..got hurt?"

"Yes. Yes, she did. I arrived there a few minutes after I got the information and the doctor told me that she had been hit inth back with a power blast…we never really figured out what it was. When I heard this diagnosis, I first was relieved! I was such a fool…When can she go home? I asked and that was when the doctor told me if I didn't know my wife was pregnant."

At this point Hank couldn't hold back anymore, taking Max's hand in his, gently caressing his wrist with his thumb.

"With us?" the boy added hesitantly, not knowing what to feel at all anymore.

"Yeah" Hank chuckled "With you and Phoebe. With our precious twins. Everything we ever hoped for seemed at reach. We should have been happy, but because of the energy the pregnancy took from her, your mom's self-healing powers weren't working as they normally would. She had a big wound and it wouldn't stop bleeding. A nurse told me that her condition was more than critical."

Max wished that he would end this story already, because it didn't help to make him feel better at all.

"And I talked to Barb, telling her how sorry I was about leaving her alone, but she wasn't taking any of it. She even admitted then she had made a mistake, taking risks and being less focused than usual. That she needed me right there."

"So.."

"We made it. It was hard Max, it was very hard. Not only when she gave birth ,but also in the next months and weeks. We were blessed and suffered at the same time. Your mom and I had a lot of fights…about stupid things. And..it all…was…"

"Dad, what do you want to tell me?"

"See Max, if you love someone, you have your reasons right? But love can turn into war very quickly and then we have to fight."

The teen didn't know if his dad did it on purpose, but hearing the word "war" he used just a few months ago in such a bad way, broke something inside him.

"It's just…"

Stop talking you idiot! he scolded himself, only to once again fail miserably.

"I..I don't wanna fight. Or hurt anyone. I can't win, I just _can't_ …"

"Max, you don't need to fight with weapons. Or violence…" his dad replied hesitantly.

" The only thing you can rescue is your love. Your heart and…" he reached out to caress his child's head. " your soul…"

"But.."

"No buts. I saw you do it, okay? We all have seen it and you need to be proud of that."

Then why was he so ashamed? To talk about anything that happened? Max thought. Being so ashamed for so long, couldn't be good for a person, he guessed.

"Thank you dad."

"You don't need to thank me, I'm glad you shared."

Max nodded slowly getting up realizing he felt surpsingly weak on his won feet.

Thanks for sharing.

"I will go upstairs now to shower, check on Billy and Nora and…"

"You know that day…"

Hank stopped in his sentence, sensing a strange shade in his eldest voice who was facing the opposite wall.

"…when you said that I'm not longer your son…"

And all air seemed to be gone for a second, filling the room with nearly insupportable pressure as Max slowly turned around, revealing two or three single tears streaming down his cheeks.

"That really hurt. Like…pretty bad."

Hank instinctively stepped closer and opened his mouth….just to close it again as no reply came to his mind.

"You don't need to say anything. I forgave you…no, no don't touch me."

The man backed away respecting his son's wish, but it was still hard for him to watch.

"You're saying love is war. I know what war means."

War against your fate, your conscience, yourself…

"And I'm not lacking the heart, you know? But if loving you means…constant pain, I don't think I…I don't want to be in war forever."

"Max…" Hank chose his words carefully even though his mind was running wild.

"You're just sixteen years old. You don't know what you're saying."

So sixteen years of war weren't enough, huh?

"I'm really tired" he eventually said not realizing it had more than one meaning in this context.

"Okay."

"So you don't know an answer?"

Hank sighed, reaching for a can to boil some water. If his son didn't want any physical comfort, maybe he could at least make him some tea to calm him down.

"I just can say that…the good side always wins the war. That love is war and…war is love."

After this a few minutes of silence followed which for sure would have been awkward if both wouldn't have been so had rested his head on his arms, trying to sort out the chaos inside him.

Colosso had said he was too complicated. He sometimes wondered how a person consisting of only 28 different organic molecules could be so complicated.

"Here you go" Hank said softly placing a cup of tea in front of him.

"You got a second one?"

"Sure…"

Filling another cup, he wondered if Max wanted to take it down to his room to drink it later to be surprised as the young hero picked up both, heading to the door.

"Max, where are you going?"

The boy stared at him as if it was the most obvious question ever.

"To Phoebe"

He wanted to be with Phoebe, he had the urge to find see that she was alright, to look her in eyes and feel relieved for just an hour.

"Okay…to share your tea? Or do what?"

And for the first time that evening a hint of a smile appeared on Max's face.

"You're being too curious old man. We maybe got all emotional in here. A little sickening to be honest. But you still don't need to know everything."

He would never understand everything.


End file.
